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About Andrew Langford

Permaculture Designer and Consultant since 1990 (first PDC in 1986). I was volunteer coordinator for Permaculture Association of Britain in its very early days (but not its beginnings) until George Sobol and Patsy Garrard rescued me. I was much supported in this organizational development work by Lea Harrison, permaculture teacher extraordinaire from Australia through late 80's, early 90's. Lea encourage me to become the first UK Permaculture Teacher and nominated me for the Permaculture Community Services Award which arrive in 1993.

I worked at classic permaculture design and teaching activities until it became apparent that many more people fell by the wayside than flourished in permaculture and thus I was involved in initiating the Permaculture Academy of Britain, inspired by Bill's pamphlet of 1993, that encouraged us all to consider how to embed permaculture education into the mainstream 'higher' educational system whilst providing mentoring and support for long term permaculture learners.

I put my best efforts into this work for 15 years and, along with several allies, we made some small progresses that, on reflection, seemed insufficient considering a) the considerable efforts we put to the job and b) the essential need for this type of hands-on, ecosocial, action oriented education to BE the mainstream and not just part of it.

Most recently I have decide to change strategy and, instead of wasting my life knocking on closed doors and begging for a place in a hostile (pro-hegemonic) mainstream, I am working (with many fabulous compadres) to outpace it by, as Buckminster Fuller proposed, causing the old system to waste away because there is a much better design around. This design, originating with permaculture principles, is called Gaia University.

That makes me one of those odd permaculturalists who actively seeks to develop institutional and worknet coherence (although we call Gaia University an un-institution) as a priority.